Reynolds, John Francis, Iii

March 08, 2005

REYNOLDS, John Francis, III

John Francis Reynolds, III, 81, of Middletown, died Sunday, (March 6, 2005) after a lengthy illness. He is survived by his beloved wife Frances English Reynolds; his daughter, Elizabeth Reynolds Hinckley and her husband Mark of New York City; his sons, John English Reynolds and his wife Simone of New Britain, and David Lyon Reynolds and his wife Krista of Arlington, VA, and his six grandchildren, Benjamin Tyler Hinckley, Christopher Todd Hinckley, John Gibson Reynolds, Daniel Ashton Reynolds, Mason English Reynolds, and James Cutler Reynolds. Mr. Reynolds was the son of the late John Edgar Reynolds and the late Helen Henry (Reynolds) Seccombe. He was born in North Haven, on May 23, 1923, and was raised in Derby where he attended the local schools. He later graduated from the Moses Brown School in Providence, RI and from Yale University with the Class of 1945W. During World War II Mr. Reynolds was a volunteer ambulance driver with the American Field Service, serving with the British Eighth Army in North Africa and the Middle East, and later with General Mark Clark's Fifth Army in the Italian campaign. He completed his service in the war as an ensign in the US Merchant Marine. After the war Mr. Reynolds owned and operated the Stiles & Reynolds Brick Co. in Berlin. He later was employed as a trust officer with the Hartford National Bank & Trust Co., and subsequently he founded Middletown Restorations, Inc. which restored five historic structures on Middletown's Main Street for commercial uses. Mr. Reynolds's life was especially noteworthy for his strong commitment to his community. He was the founder and first President of the Greater Middletown Preservation Trust, and he was an incorporator and trustee of the state-chartered Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation. He was appointed by President George H. W. Bush to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, Washington, D.C. He was the principal founder and first President of the Board of Trustees of The Independent Day School in Middlefield, which named its library in his honor. In addition, he served three terms as President of the Middlesex County Historical Society, and three terms as President of the Rockfall Corporation, and also served on the boards of The Oak Hill School for the Blind, the Connecticut Forest and Park Association, and on the vestry of Holy Trinity Church in Middletown. Mr. Reynolds was an active participant in many other social and civic organizations, including Rotary International, the Conversation Club of Middletown, and the Saturnites club of New Britain. In recognition of his extensive service to his community, the City of Middletown proclaimed December 8, 2004 as John F. Reynolds, III day. A memorial service will be held at The Church of the Holy Trinity, 381 Main Street, Middletown on Saturday, March 12 at 11 a.m. Donations in memory of John F. Reynolds, III may be made to The Independent Day School, 115 Laurel Brook Road, Middlefield, CT 06455, The Greater Middletown Preservation Trust, 27 Washington Street, Middletown, CT 06457, and The Church of the Holy Trinity, 381 Main Street, Middletown, CT 06457.